Right now i have the OEM so2's on my car and was thinking about switching to AVS sports after these wear out. I am gonna increase to 225 50 (fronts) and 245 45 (rears). My question for those who know for sure is are the AVS sports gonna grip better in both dry and wet conditions? considering they are slightly wider then the 205 and 225's our cars come with.

 

I am also interested in the response to this question. These tires are highly rated.

 

jschmidt favors these as a replacement tire for the OEM S02's - but personally, I can't stand these tires. I've had them for over a year. Confidence level in the wet is great! I will give it that. But in the dry.. forget about it. It doesn't matter how long you've had these or how many miles they have on them, they will talk you all the way through the corner (chirp chirp chrip). They don't stick at all. Just because these are 220 treadwear rating doesn't mean much. Honestly, for the dollar, go with something like the intermediates - they stick a little better and for half the cost. If not, just go with OEM S02s.

 

I've put about 10,000 miles on my Yoko AVS Sports and I don't care for them. So you think I should go back to S02's?

 

i have used these tires previously on my former subaru in 17" sizes and they were phenomenal. it is very likely that the 16" tires are a little bit different in compound (i seem to recall a treadwear rating of 180 on the 17" ones i had). my buddy also has a set in 18"s on his eclipse and they do not follow any of the negative descriptions the other users have posted. besides being in lower profile than the ones you are considering (since the wheels were larger) the cars that i have had good experiences with the tire were both awd cars, so what i mentioned may not apply to the s2000.

i personally like the factory tire very much

bassem

 

I always found that Yokohamas always stick very well in the beginning, but after a few months of heat cycles their dry grip properties change for the worse.

 

May - I'd go back to the OEM S02's if I were you.

Bassem - different cars behave different with tires. That's all I can say regarding this tire. I don't care for them in this car, but perhaps in another car, where the suspension is more properly balanced in the rear... well, that might be the best thing.

 

Well, you'll never go backwards with the S-02s and I can't tell you that the AVS Sports grip better. I can say with some certianty that:

• They are more progressive and linear
  
• The offer more and better feedback
  
• While somwhat sensitive they are way less sensitive to cold
  
• They're a great "ultra-performance class" grip dry or wet
  
• They don't surprise at the limit
  
• I'm as fast or faster than the next guy.
  
• I think I'm faster on these than I was/would be on the stockers.

I would suggest you stick with the stockers if you're not inclined to experiment but -- after running this combination -- I wouldn't go back to stockers. In fact I'd likely try another tire first because -- for me at least -- I know the stock back tires aren't the best choice. I think they lack feedback and require a greater safety margin than a more linear tire. The best tires grip best, transition best, work reasonably well in all real world conditions and speak up to the driver. The trick is to be able to dance on either side of the grip "line" with confidence; that requires linearity, progressivity and feedback.

Don't believe that the stock tires are some "Holy Grail". Any dry variation between them and AVS Sports comes down more to driver than to tire.

BTW, if you do decide to run this combination, look up my thread on alignment. I didn't need to add a sway bar to retain neutral balance. In my case, the larger front improved both braking and turn in at the track. The deficits of the larger tire have -- perhaps -- been overstated.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Schatten
Bassem - different cars behave different with tires.